Back to the main site

Proper SUV for 21' SLX & 115hp motor

D

Dho

Member
Messages
13
Reaction score
9
First time pontoon owner and I need help selecting a properly sized SUV for a new 21-ft SLX with a pair of 25" tubes and a Yamaha 115. I don't have any experience towing anything of the size, nor do I have any time behind a anything other than a smaller SUV like a RAV4.

Dealer says dry weight for pontoon, motor, trailer is 2900 lbs.

Most the time I'm just going to be towing within a 1 hour distance in Minnesota, but occasionally I'll be traveling up to 2 and 1/2 hour distances.

For a family of four with potentially seating up to six people I'm looking for a SUV That is an at risk of being undersized or overloaded. I'd prefer to spend the money now versus potentially stressing out a vehicle that is going to require transmission repair or replacement in 3 years or so.

I'm trying to not overspend on a unnecessarily overpowered vehicle, but like I said it's more important to me that I'm not "red lining" my vehicles limit based on what I'm trying to tow.

Am I going to be in a good position if I get a v6 with a towing package or should I look at smaller v8s? I'm really looking for specific model advice so I can start doing some research.

I'm hoping this groups experience can help me properly size an SUV that I will be happy with long term.
 
Last edited:
Looking for a SUV with room for at least 6 passengers, so trucks are not an option for me.
 
I only tow a couple of times per year, but also have towed with anything from a semi (not towing my boat with this) down to a 1/2 ton pickup. The biggest factor is stopping the load. An undersized vehicle can be pushed by the trailer. I tow my 23 ft boat with a 1/2 ton truck but a 3/4 ton would be better. You likely will need a full sized suv (Tahoe, expedition, etc) with 4 wheel drive for those slick ramps.

Also, having brakes on the trailer will be a huge benefit to you.
 
There is no way I am towing a tritoon with an SUV at distances further than a couple miles. There is a lot more to towing than a vehicle tow rating. too. Be careful.
 
I tow a 20’ Bennington tritoon with a standard length 4x4 Lincoln Navigator or more often times a 4500 lb dry weight Lance 20’ travel trailer. Local boat towing 6 miles round trip. Travel trailer towing 500 miles to 4000 miles. About 11 miles per gallon on long trips.
I am towing in Arizona at 100 degrees plus and there is no shortage of power with this V6. On the interstate only side winds limit speed. In watching the transmission temperature, for this vehicle there has been no need for the transmission cooler or an extra towing gear.
You need to consider more frequent transmission service if doing a lot of towing.

The main thing I dislike is if water level drops 2 feet this rigs rear axel is awfully close to submersion to get the boat off the trailer. Boat can stick to carpeted bunks.
Perhaps you should hang out at you local favorite boat ramp to see what launch conditions are like.
Dan
 
Dan F said:
I tow a 20’ Bennington tritoon with a standard length 4x4 Lincoln Navigator or more often times a 4500 lb dry weight Lance 20’ travel trailer. Local boat towing 6 miles round trip. Travel trailer towing 500 miles to 4000 miles. About 11 miles per gallon on long trips.
I am towing in Arizona at 100 degrees plus and there is no shortage of power with this V6. On the interstate only side winds limit speed. In watching the transmission temperature, for this vehicle there has been no need for the transmission cooler or an extra towing gear.
You need to consider more frequent transmission service if doing a lot of towing.

The main thing I dislike is if water level drops 2 feet this rigs rear axel is awfully close to submersion to get the boat off the trailer. Boat can stick to carpeted bunks.
Perhaps you should hang out at you local favorite boat ramp to see what launch conditions are like.
Dan
Click to expand...
I would note boat pushing is largely noticeable in slippery road condition conditions like rain, loose gravel or winter ice snow. 4 wheel drive won’t help you stop.
 
You are correct that 4 wheel drive won't help you stop. 4 wheel drive only helps you get back up a slippery ramp. The weight of the tow vehicle, the trailer being properly balanced, and brakes on the trailer and tow vehicle are things that help you stop safely and tow safely.

Safe towing is a very important and often an afterthought.
 
I tow a 9k toy hauler with contents with my 07 V8 Expedition XL. I love being able to pile in 6 soccer players plus parents when going to games. This SUV has been super reliable and easy to fix when needed. A good trailer has its own breaks, so you worry about tow and tounge capacity, which is complicated, definitely do some research!! I tow several thousand miles per year, never an issue.
 
You have gotten a lot of good answers so far. I think the consensus is with a pontoon and a family you would most likely want to stick to a full-size SUV. I know my Toyota Highlander (or Kia Telluride or any “3 row crossover”) can pull 5000 pounds but I wouldn’t want to do that with 4 to 6 people inside the vehicle plus gear and a boat on the backend. If you had something like a full sized Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, Chevy Tahoe, or Escalade you will be much happier with the performance and towing experience. I came from a household that always had cars and bought a pick up. It’s honestly the most comfortable thing and can seat a ton of people. Way more leg room in the back seat than any crossover. Lots of gear and lots of hauling capacity. Unless you are regularly transporting six people I would certainly consider the new Ram trucks which won Motor Trend’s truck of the year and the new fords. I am sure the new Chevys and GMC’s are nice too but don’t have any experience with them. Where in MN do you live? We live in west central MN by Fargo. Good luck!
 
Ram 1500 with eco diesel (10,000 lb tow capacity and 30 mpg), or if you want a real truck, get a 2500 with a cummings diesel. Single axle tows 20k. Seats 5 comfortably. Like sitting in your home recliner.
 
Certainly there is no shortage of upper end options for towing, but for a standard 21' pontoon....OH PLEASE.... Maybe it's useful to know what to avoid. Plenty of less-than-road-yacht vehicles have towing capabilities that just start in the 3500 to 4000# range and have very capable power/transmission options. One of the problems is many are FWD with light aluminum engines. Regardless of how aggressive the tires are, traction is lacking (especially with passenger and tongue weight). You must have RWD/AWD with a towing package (or equivalent) and trailer brakes in good working order.

As an example, one of our sons tows significantly more weight than you are looking at with a Durango. His is a hemi, but a modern V6 with a six, eight or nine-speed would be just fine (more being better). However, that comes with less panache and kick-ass power. Also, many late model types have temp monitoring. That and, maybe, reduced interval fluid changes should avoid any problems.
 
Last edited:
Dho I will have to jump into this thread with a thought many have for motor size on our boats. You will never wish you had a smaller motor but many have wished they had more HP. Our boats are not extremely heavy but they have a large surface area. This can be a problem for a lighter tow vehicle. I use a Dodge Durango to haul our 22’ boat one mile to our lakes boat ramp. It has rear wheel drive with all wheel drive capability. It does ok. If I plan to pull further than a mile I will use my Ram 3500 not for its power but for its weigh. When a tractor trailer goes past at high speed it will produce a wake of air that can push and pull the trailer/boat and if you have an undersized tow vehicle the whipping action of the trailer can cause loss of control. Bigger is always better and safer when it comes to towing.
 
What is your family worth to you in $$? I'm not trying to be glib, but having trailered in both a old Tundra (1st gen) and now a Ram 1500 Rebel there can be a HUGE difference in safety.

I would travel with a team of guys for fishing tournaments and with that Tundra we were white knuckling every time a semi went by, and when there was traffic, construction zones or jersey walls the pucker factor was at 11+. Now with the Ram you don't even know a bass boat is back there.

I can't imagine what a big pontoon would be like especially with loved ones. Agree with others, pay little extra for a large SUV that is highly rated by the press and user forums for towing.
 
Ahhh...so it's settled, the only reasonable choice is a 6000+# diesel crew-cab...Really? Dually anyone? A real trailering package with a properly set-up trailer is all that is needed on 4000+# SUV's. Even the Buick Enclave (properly equipped) can fill that need. Towing where the big boys work requires not just a vehicle, but also a trailer AND hitch set up to work together. Another critical factor is driver education. YouTube is great, but nothing beats some face-to-face time with practical experience.

Crew cab pickups (the required variant for the stated need) are an expensive and colossal pain in the rear to own and maintain for only occasional towing and certainly not needed for a modest pontoon boat. With the correct tires, plenty of non-monster 300+ HP (V6 and V8) SUV's with many-speed transmissions and towing mode are getting the job done safely every day. That said, a bad combination is just that with any vehicle.
 
Last edited:
This is all really helpful. I feel like the combined opinion is that I need a large SUV with a V8 in addition to trailer brakes for an optimal driving experience. I appreciate the continued opinions. It's really helping me figure out what I'm trying to do here.

An additional opinions I'd continue to appreciate your thoughts.
 
I don’t do much trailering as I only take my boat out in fall and bring it 2 miles to storage building and back again in spring. I use my old Jeep Grand Cherokee. I will say I know that 2275 RL is behind it and don’t think I would advise doing it over a longer distance or on a regular basis
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top